Hordes of superheroes filled the school quad on a Monday, infusing the masses with color. Some might have thought it was an eccentric movie set or a flash mob senior prank, but Monday actually marked the start of Spirit Week at Cathedral. The week kicked off with “Super Monday,” on which students were allowed to dress up as superheroes. Students showed up in various attire, ranging from Superman onesies (including a cleverly dressed “Clark Kent”) to Batman pajamas (and a mask) to a unique Lebron James costume.

“Spirit week is meant to get students pumped up for Prom,” said junior ASB officer Carter Lynn. “We don’t have a football or a sports game that correlates with Prom, but we do have the rally to get everyone excited about [ASB] announcing the senior class Prom King and Queen of the court.”

This year’s Prom Court candidates were Karl Schlaht, Casey Toohill, and Jordan McBrayer for Prom King and Brianna Rotherham, Tina LaMar, and Colleen Grainger for Prom Queen. They were greeted with cheers and thunderous applause as they walked on the red carpet during the rally. On the night of the Prom, Karl and Brianna (who celebrated her eighteenth birthday on the same day) were announced as the King and Queen as cheers echoed into the night.

“The first three days of spirit week are the same as last year’s,” said Carter ruefully. After Monday came “Tourist Tuesday,” followed by “World Championship Wednesday” and “Thank the Lord Thursday,” on which we had the last liturgy of the year. Friday, themed after Prom, “A Stroll Down the Red Carpet,” had students dress in Hollywood class colors. “There are a limited amount of themes we can get approved,” said junior ASB member Devyn Magnett. A list of potential themes are made and sent to the dean’s office for approval first before being implemented.

“The most popular day,” said senior Thomas Graf, “was Tourist Day.” Thousands of tourists, armed with cameras and bucket hats, roamed around campus the day that followed the flooding of superheroes. Some students carried around suitcases as well. Several students laughingly asked why more students weren’t wearing Crocs, which are a popular brand of foam clogs, that characterizes the image of an American tourist several countries.

“I saw a lot of students getting involved,” Carter said. “The themes were pretty easy to get involved with.” Several students offered their own opinions. “I believe it has been successful in the sense that it allowed students to express themselves through their costumes,” junior Jack Freim said. “I think it was executed well by ASB too, with good themes and good rules.” “It’s been really fun coordinating outfits,” said sophomore Aaron Quini.

However, there were some complaints. Freshmen were accidentally kept in the dark about Spirit Week, not receiving emails about the themes. “I only knew through my sister,” freshman J.T. McLaughlin said. “I came to school on Monday and my friends were all upset and confused.” Senior Montana Von Musser commented on the involvement level. “I don’t feel as if as many people were involved in spirit week as much as past years,” she said. She also added on, “I think for future years, more people would get involved if they didn’t have to waste a day wearing liturgy clothes for one of the days – we basically only get three days of Spirit Week.”

For the future, Devyn hopes to get more themes approved. “A lot of people did notice that we did the same themes as last year,” she said. Several students suggested potential themes for next year. Among the suggestions included possible themes such as “Fandom Friday,” “Decade Week (wearing the style of a different decade every passing day),” “Out of This World,” and “Medieval Monday.”

Thomas said, “It’s great to have varying themes during spirit week that bolster school spirit and include the community as a whole.”
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